Motorists Urged to Make Highway Safety a Priority
(MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – To ease Thanksgiving travel statewide and as a safety precaution, the Alabama Department of Transportation is announcing there will be no temporary lane closures for road work on Alabama interstates from noon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, through midnight, Sunday, Dec. 1.
ALDOT is urging motorists to make safety a priority, as more traffic on the road during the holiday will leave little room for error. Here are a few tips to help travelers stay safe.
Holiday Highway Safety Tips
- Buckle Up. Every seat. Every time.
Alabama law now requires everyone in the vehicle to wear a seat belt, front and back seats.
- Keep right, except to pass.
Drivers staying in the left lane contribute to traffic jams and crashes. Alabama law states that a driver should not drive more than a mile and a half in the left lane on the interstate without passing another vehicle.
- Drive alert.
Taking a break from driving every two hours helps drivers stay alert. Drowsy driving claimed almost 800 lives in the United States in 2017.*
“As so many take to the road this holiday season on family car trips, more people will be riding in the back seat of vehicles,” said Allison Green, Drive Safe Alabama coordinator with ALDOT. “Those back seat passengers, just like front seat passengers, can significantly reduce the likelihood of being injured or killed in a wreck by simply wearing a seat belt.”
For more safe driving tips, visit the Drive Safe Alabama website.
Highway Travel Planning Tool
Motorists planning their holiday travel route can find Alabama traffic and road condition information, including live traffic camera feeds at www.ALGOtraffic.com or by downloading the ALGO Traffic app. ALDOT asks motorists to use ALGO Traffic responsibly. Drivers should never text, tweet, or use a mobile device while operating a vehicle.
